PLEASE NOTE: This course was retired on
20 Dec 2016. This means
it is no longer being updated or maintained, so information within the
course may no longer be accurate. FutureLearn accepts no liability for any
loss or damage arising as a result of use or reliance on this information.

Introduction to FutureLearn

This may be the first course that you have undertaken on FutureLearn, or perhaps it is the first course you have taken online. Don’t worry: the platform is designed to be easy to navigate.

Finding your way around

There are four icons at the top of each step to help you make the most from your learning experience.

To Do

The first icon takes you to your to do list for the course you’re in. This shows all the steps for that week. You can take a look ahead to see what’s coming up in the following weeks and if you don’t manage to complete all the steps in a week, you are always able to go back to previous weeks and catch up.

You are free to learn at your own pace, but we encourage the conversation to happen around the current week’s activities. If you still haven’t completed the course at the end of the final week, don’t worry! The course materials will remain open to you on the site indefinitely.

Activity

The second icon takes you to the activity feed, which shows the most recent comments posted by learners on this course.

Replies

Click the third icon to see any replies made to the comments you’ve posted on this course. FutureLearn will also send you an email notification about any recent replies (once per day maximum).

Progress

The fourth icon takes you to your progress page, where you’ll see what percentage of the course steps you’ve marked as complete.

Comments and discussions

Learning from conversations is an important part of the FutureLearn approach. You will learn from discussions with other people taking part in the course, by reading their comments and responding with your own thoughts, which you can do on nearly all steps. On some steps there will be a more structured discussion. Although they will not be able to respond to every question, you may see comments and replies from the educators throughout the course.

Anyone enrolled on the course can comment and discuss the course material. To see all the comments on a particular step, click the pink speech bubble icon and the comments will be revealed. The number next to this icon tells you how many comments there are for this step. Found a comment which was really useful or interesting? Click the Like button!

Don’t forget, whilst robust debate is encouraged, it’s important that you follow the FutureLearn code of conduct and are respectful of your fellow learners.

Follow others

If you want to keep track of another learner’s comments easily, click the Follow button next to their name (on their profile page). We recommend that you follow the educators on this course:

Mark as Complete

When you reach the end of a step and have understood everything, click the pink Mark as Complete button at the bottom. This will update your progress page, and will help you to keep track of which steps you’ve done. Any steps you’ve completed will turn blue on your To Do list.

Want a certificate?

This personalised certificate and transcript details the syllabus and learning outcomes, making it ideal evidence of your continuing professional development (CPD). The Certificate comes in both printed and digital formats, so you can easily add it to your portfolio, CV or LinkedIn profile.